On turning round, and seeing Ronald near, the large boy added—
“Here, you youngster, you needn’t go and tell Page everything you hear, because you happen to live with him; because if you do, you’ll be sorry for it.”
Ronald had no heart to report this conversation to Marcus, though he cared nothing for the threat. His ears tingled, however, to hear Marcus spoken of in this way, and from that moment he felt a strong dislike towards the boy in question, who, to do him justice, was not so bad as he seemed, but only had an unhappy habit of saying more than he felt, and threatening more than he was willing to perform.
Another large boy,—a mischievous but not ill-meaning fellow,—annoyed Ronald a good deal by applying to him the nickname Frenchy, and telling him he had got to wear it as his “academical name.” Ronald reported this to Marcus; but the latter advised him to take no notice of the affair, telling him that the inventor of the nickname would probably soon forget all about it, if he saw that it did not trouble Ronald.
“Who would have thought of seeing Jessie Hapley in the academy!” exclaimed Kate, as they were walking home. “I declare, I never was more surprised in my life—they are so poor, you know.”
“But Jessie is a very fine girl, if she is poor,” said Marcus.
“O, yes, I like her very much,” promptly responded Kate; “and I’m glad she is going to school with us; but I didn’t suppose her father could afford to send her.”
“She earned the money herself, to pay for her tuition,” added Marcus. “She sees she has got to support herself, if not the rest of the family, and she is anxious to qualify herself for teaching. She thinks she is better adapted to that business than to any other, and I think so, too. She is an excellent scholar, and you will have to look out for your laurels, Kate, now that she is in school.”
“Well, she is older than I am,” said Kate, quite unconcerned.
“Only a few months,” added Marcus; “besides, her school privileges have been very limited, compared with yours.”